Independent energy company Vaalco Energy has joined the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energy conference as a platinum sponsor, showcasing the company’s vision for driving exploration and production in Africa.

With plans to double crude oil production to over 50,000 barrels per day by 2027, Vaalco Energy has producing assets offshore Gabon and Equatorial Guinea and onshore Egypt. AEW 2024: Invest in African Energy – taking place November 4-8 – is poised to facilitate this strategy while providing insight into the company’s ongoing projects and planned developments for tapping into Africa’s hydrocarbons resource base.

AEW: Invest in African Energy is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.AECWeek.com for more information about this exciting event.

Vaalco Energy revealed its plans in July last year to extend its contract of Borr Drilling’s – an international jack-up drilling contractor – Norve rig for further operations in Gabon’s offshore. Meanwhile, the company received the green light to push ahead with its $30 million Venus project offshore Equatorial Guinea after nabbing a final development approval from the country’s government in March 2023.

Following Vaalco Energy’s merger with Egypt-focused oil and gas exploration and development company TransGlobe Energy Corporation, the company is well-positioned to drive frontier exploration in one of Africa’s most sought-after petroleum regions. Vaalco Energy’s interests in Egypt are spread across two regions: the Eastern Desert, where the company participates in the West Gharib, West Bakr and Northwest Gharib merged concessions, and the Western Desert.

Meanwhile, in Gabon, the company operates primarily in the offshore Etame Marin block. Since its inception, the block has produced more than 120 million barrels of crude oil, while its remaining reserves currently stand at an estimated 113 million barrels. The block was first spud by Vaalco Energy in 2022 and served the company’s strategy to increase crude production at the Etame field through two well workovers while extending the life of the field through the discovery of more hydrocarbons.

Vaalco Energy has played an instrumental role in expanding West and North Africa’s upstream market, leading ambitious exploration campaigns that have positioned the region as a highly attractive play. The company has also become a partner of choice for many resource-rich nations, driving investment and opportunities on the back of oil and gas investment and development.

“By taking a chance in frontier markets and adhering to their commitment towards driving investment in African hydrocarbon industry, Vaalco Energy has become one of the most prominent exploration players on the continent,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Their participation as a platinum sponsor at this year’s event will not only inspire other independents to participate in African oil, but showcase the success of companies who look at Africa’s frontier basins and see opportunity.”

AEW 2024: Invest in African Energy takes place under a mandate to make energy poverty history by 2030 and promotes investment across the entire African energy value chain. The conference offers a diverse lineup of panel discussions, presentations, investor briefings and project profiles, all of which aim to connect capital and technology with African projects. Visit www.AECWeek.com to secure your place at the largest energy event to take place on the continent.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

The General Secretariat of the Arab Africa Trade Bridges (AATB) Program, a multi-donor, inter-regional program, launched in collaboration with Togo’s Ministry of Road Transport, Air, and Rail an initiative aimed at empowering Togo’s transport and transit sector. The “Training for Trainers” initiative is expertly facilitated by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) in Lomé, Togo.

The objective of this training is to equip trainers with the necessary skills to conduct high-quality educational sessions for professionals in the transport and transit sector. The training emphasizes strict adherence to national and international regulations while also setting new industry standards. This forward-thinking initiative aims to enhance the expertise of the distinguished trainers at the Center for Road Transport Professions in Togo. Apart from regulatory compliance, the program also focuses on creating a more efficient, secure, and robust transport environment.

Commenting on the launch of the initiative, Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, CEO of ITFC and AATB General Secretary stated “The AATB program is dedicated to fostering economic development in the Republic of Togo, particularly in harnessing the significant potential within the transportation sector. We support the efforts of both public and private sector actors who are working towards the development of a safe and efficient transport sector in the West African sub-region. This is crucial for fostering economic and trade integration. The training provided will equip industry professionals with the necessary skills to meet local, regional, and international standards.  By participating in this initiative, trainers will not only enhance their own expertise but also contribute to Togo’s development and progress.“

The “Training for Trainers” initiative stands as a testament of the AATB Program’s unwavering commitment to fostering industry excellence and ensuring safety in member countries. As a pivotal component of AATB’s Togo Country Program, this initiative, supports the country’s strategy to refine and transform the transport and transit infrastructure. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Arab Africa Trade Bridges Program (AATB).

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About the Arab-Africa Trade Bridges (AATB) Program:
The AATB Program is a multi-donor, multi-country, and multi-organizations program supported by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Islamic Development Bank, The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) and The Islamic Corporation for The Development of The Private Sector (ICD). The Program aims to promote and increase trade and investment flows between African and Arab OIC Member Countries; provide and support trade finance and export credit insurance and enhance existing capacity-building tools relating to trade. The Program specifically focuses on supporting the key sectors of agriculture and related industries including textiles; the health industry including pharmaceuticals; infrastructure and transport; and petrochemicals, construction material, and technology.  

The Association of Service Providers of the Angolan Oil and Gas Industry (AECIPA) has signed an MoU with Angola Oil&Gas (AOG) event organizer Energy Capital&Power (www.EnergyCapitalPower.com). The MoU provides Angolan service companies access to exclusive discounts for the conference – scheduled for October 2-4 in Luanda.

For 100% locally-owned Angolan SME members, these include a 15% discount on sponsorship and/or exhibition rates and a 60% discount on delegate passes. Meanwhile, all other AECIPA members are offered a 10% discount on delegate passes. The added benefits for local SMEs fall part of AOG 2024’s strategy to uplift local content in the Angolan oil and gas industry.

AOG is the largest oil and gas event in Angola. Taking place with the full support of the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas; national oil company Sonangol; the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency; the African Energy Chamber; and the Petroleum Derivatives Regulatory Institute, the event is a platform to sign deals and advance Angola’s oil and gas industry. To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.

Representing Angolan service providers, AECIPA sets out to promote, encourage, support and sponsor professional initiatives of service companies established in Angola. The association expands opportunities for its members across the Angolan oil and gas industry, strengthening local content and SME participation across the value chain.

AECIPA was a partner of the 2023 edition of AOG, underscoring the association’s commitment to bolstering service provider support in Angola. Through the 2024 partnership, AECIPA will facilitate participation by Angolan service companies at the event this October. The association is also set to lead discussions at AOG 2024 around opportunities for service providers in Angola’s oil and gas industry, promoting partnerships and connecting companies to projects.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital&Power.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission) is following with great attention the situation of migrants in Libya, a territory traversed by one of the deadliest migratory routes in Africa.

The Commission is deeply alarmed and saddened by the discovery, in south-west Libya, of a mass grave containing at least 65 bodies of migrants, whose nationalities, gender and circumstances of death have not yet been identified. According to information received by the Commission, the migrants died during their clandestine crossing of the Libyan desert.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights expresses its sincere condolences to the families of the bereaved victims and condemns all violations of migrants’ rights that may lead to their disappearance, including the right to life. 

Recalling its Resolution ACHPR/RES. 486 (EXT.OS/XXXI1I) 2021 on missing migrants and refugees in Africa and the consequences for their families, and following this umpteenth tragedy, the Commission once again expresses its deep concern at the continuing disappearances of migrants in various circumstances, due in particular to the upsurge in irregular migratory flows and the use of the most precarious and perilous migratory routes. Migrants, who are often extremely vulnerable, are exposed to various abuses committed by smugglers and traffickers, such as trafficking in human beings, migrant smuggling and other forms of transnational organised crime.

The Commission remains convinced that in order to improve the lot of migrants and put an end to such tragedies, it is necessary to develop regular channels for legal migration, and that migration management policies and practices should be based on respect for the human rights of all migrants.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights calls on the Government of the State of Libya to shed light on this tragedy by conducting a swift, impartial and effective enquiry to establish who was responsible, and to facilitate, with due respect for human dignity, the recovery of the bodies of the deceased migrants, their identification and the provision of information to their families as soon as possible.

Finally, the Commission reminds States Parties of their obligations to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and protection of all migrants, irrespective of their origin and migratory status, and at all stages of their migratory journey, arising from the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other relevant international and regional instruments, including the “African Guiding Principles on the Human Rights of All Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers” (2023).

Hon. Commissioner Selma SASSI-SAFER

Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrants in Africa
Commissioner for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Libya

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR).